Heart of the Leader
by Sandtail
Summary: "No, no! Jayfeather this is bad! That's six warriors." Bramblestar groaned. "Mille, Sandstorm, Blossomfall, Ivypool, Lionblaze and now Birchfall are all…diseased." Jayfeather growled. "You think I'm not trying, I've never seen these symptoms before! Blossomfall was just coughing up blood today, more blood than was spilled during the badger attack!"
1. Chapter 1

**This is in spirit of the Christmas season. Happy Holidays everyone! I'll try to get this done before 2013. So that's right Update every day.**

Heavy winds blew into the leader's den as a light blue tabby tom walked in shaking cold snow off his pelt. "Bramblestar another cat has the sickness."

A large tabby tom widened his amber eyes in shock. "What who?" He stood up and lay down in front of the medicine cat.

"Birchfall."

"No, no! Jayfeather this is bad! That's six warriors." Bramblestar groaned. "Mille, Sandstorm, Blossomfall, Ivypool, Lionblaze and now Birchfall are all…diseased."

Jayfeather growled. "You think I'm not trying, I've never seen these symptoms before! Blossomfall was just coughing up blood today, more blood than was spilt during the badger attack!"

"It must be just Blackcough." Bramblestar voice was barley above a whisper. "What if the other clans attack us? We'll lose badly."

Jayfeather shook his head. "I talked to the other medicine cats, they have the same problem. There're calling it a plague."

"A plague?"

"A wide spread disease. No cat has died yet but we can't take any chances." Jayfeather bowed his head down. "Lionblaze is so skinny and pale I-I can't believe he's part of the three or my brother."

Bramblestar's eyes flashed with sadness. Even if Lionblaze wasn't his son, he still meant something to him. "Maybe it's…"

Jayfeather raised up his head in anger. "Don't even suggest it Bramblestar, you are a great leader! Starclan would not punish a whole-."

"Jayfeather something's wrong with Icecloud, Her ears are bleeding and she's coughing." A high pitched voice interrupted the two. Amberpaw was standing outside of Bramblestar's den panting heavily.

"Try to dream with Starclan." Jayfeather hissed. He whipped around and dashed towards the fallen white she-cat stumbling sometimes.

Bramblestar closed his eyes in grief. What's to stop the sickness from hitting his sweet mate? Squirrelflight was on a patrol at the moment with Dovewing and Toadstep.

"Starclan don't abandon us now." He lay down and sighed. Closing his eyes he was slowly drawn into a deep dark sleep.

"Bramblestar." Bramblestar opened his eyes in shock.

" Firestar?" he asked questionably. There was a orange ginger tom with a serious gaze sitting with his tail wrapped around his paws.

"The journey to find the lake wasn't your last Bramblestar." The former leader whispered.

"What do you mean?" Bramblestar's eyes were filled with happiness and curiosity.

"The clans are dying." Bramblestar flattened his ears _I know that_

"This sickness is known as the Dark Cough. It's rare but seems to have come in contact with the clans. It leaves the victims in eternal pain until you decide to end it yourself or if the body can no longer handle it."

"H-how do we stop it." Bramblestar silently cursed himself fro stammering. "There must be a way."

"The last time this sickness occurred was during the time of the founders themselves; apparently the leader's nine lives protected them from the sickness. Therefore they could only make the journey themselves." Firestar paused as if hiding something.

Bramblestar blinked his eyes in confusion. "What?"

"Did you ever wonder how the Great War started, the one that killed Shadow." He asked.

Bramblestar nodded. "Shadow wanted more territory and started it."

Firestar sighed. "During the Journey the leaders formed friendships so when they returned to their respected clans to much trust was established. During the journey Thunder promised Shadow territory but when they came home that promise was lost during the harsh Leafbare. Shadow attacked out of grief for a lost friend and sadly Thunder had to end his good friend. Wind and River had their own unsolved problems, Wind had a mate and River fell in love with her. Wind's mate attacked River and lied about who attacked first. They all lost something."

Bramblestar widened his eyes in shock. "I never knew that."

"You must not tell anyone of this story Bramblestar, I only tell you this because you will be traveling with the other leader."

Bramblestar almost smirked. " I don't see myself becoming fast friends with Blackstar."

Firestar smiled. " I know Bramblestar but there's more to the other leaders than you know, Just be aware."

**A person told me to pray on the day before the end of the world. This was our convo **

**Me- Why do think the world is gonna end?**

**Lady- the Mayan calendar, haven't you seen the signs.**

**Me- You don't know a Mayan, their dead and they can't see the future. They made a calendar dear (she was younger than me I just think lady is fast to type)**

**Lady- Walks away**


	2. Holly Flowers

**Hey peeps (Silence) no one reviewed my story boo ho. I know 40 of you have seen it! I checked the views (narrows eyes) I know you're out there….**

**I don't own warriors**

"Bramblestar Shadowclan going to cross the border if we don't do something soon!" Berrynose a cream colored tom hissed.

Bramblestar raised his tail to silence his patrol. It was only mid day and he, Berrynose, and Hazeltail. The lack of warriors made smaller patrols. Bramblestar flicked an ear at the incoming Shadowclan patrol.

He noticed Blackstar leader of Shadowclan Oakfur, and Tigerheart. His belly suddenly churned._ Is Tawnypelt okay?_

Blackstar growled and Bramblestar dipped his head respectfully. "Blackstar."

"Bramblestar…why is your patrol standing around like pigeons around the Shadowclan border?"

Bramblestar heard Berrynose let out a faint hiss. "We're merely marking the border Blackstar same as you."

Blackstar scowled and both patrols marked the border. Suddenly a loud barking sound filled the area. All six cats bristled their fur at the horrific sound.

Suddenly both clan leaders slowly collapsed onto the ground. Hazeltail let out a screech of alarm. "It's the disease it's caught them."

Oakfur hissed at her. "Don't be mouse brained."

Berrynose snorted. "I hate to admit it but they're right but it could be the sickness."

Large smoke filled the air as they bickered among each other.

Tigerheart coughed. "It smells horrible." His eyes rolled back and he collapsed. Hazeltail soon followed after. Berrynose and Oakfur both closed their eyes and fell to the ground as well.

Bramblestar's body twitched and he managed to squint open one eye. He let out a heavy breath as he felt himself being lifted off the ground. _ What's going on?_

He soon felt cold hard but smooth rock beneath him. He managed to open his eyes and he realized the Blackstar was beside him gently stirring. Bramblestar managed to roll onto his belly. He let out a yawn and moved his tail. He yelped wide awake when he felt something prod deeper into his skin.

He turned his head around to see a long thin silver thing in his flank. He growled at it and slowly moved his face towards the object. He pulled it out and winced. He turned to Blackstar to see the tom sleeping peacefully his chest slowly rising and falling. He slowly crawled towards the white tom and spotted the silver object. He pulled it out hesitantly as if the Shadowclan leader would wake up and shred him.

Bramblestar groaned finally wide away. He yelped as he was tossed into the air by the ground. He almost yowled when he realized he was inside a monster. He let out a "mrooooow!"

Blackstar's white ear twitched. Soon the Shadowclan leader began to wake. Bramblestar felt his heart skip a beat and his belly churn. "Starclan no.'

He heard Blackstar hissing at him and Bramblestar flattened his ears, hissing back. "If you haven't noticed we're in a monster."

Blackstar widened his amber eyes but contained his posture. "How?"

"I remember the patrol and then I felt a pain in my back, now we're here."

The Shadowclan leader closed his eyes in though. Bramblestar wondered if he knew a way out. "I remember that as well. The twolegs must have caught us. Are there any others here?"

Bramblestar sighed. "I only scented us two." _Why the Shadowclan leader?_

"What of our patrols? What happened to them?" Blackstar questioned.

Bramblestar puffed out his chest._ Why do I want to impress him? He's not my mentor. _But for some odd reason Bramblestar felt some fear speaking to the former deputy of his father._ Did Firestar ever feel this way?_ "They seemed to have escaped."

"Hmm."

Bramblestar stayed silent. Both leaders obviously wanted no part of being together any longer.

"We need an escape plan. We're not in cages therefore we have free range to look for an escape root." Blackstar suddenly meowed.

Bramblestar agreed. The moving motion of the monster stopped and both cats tensed. Bramblestar looked around to see a fat twoleg sitting on red nests. He noticed Blackstar had disappeared. _Can Shadowclan cats try not to disappear for once_? He growled to himself.

He noticed the first twoleg with grey fur on his head pet something. He gasped in shock when he saw a white bundle of fur lying in its lap. Not purring but clearly he was doing something to distract the twoleg.

Blackstar sent a glare towards him and Bramblestar moved recovering from the shock. He paced for a bit then biting his lip he noticed giant hole at the very top of the monster. _Why would a Monster have a hole in its head? That's dumb._

Blackstar let out a yowl and clawed the twolegs face. _Hurry up! _ Bramblestar thought in his head.

Soon both toms were out of the monster. Bramblestar panted heavily and Blackstar stopped to scent their surrounding. "We're far away from the clans, and I smell intruders."

Bramblestar paused to smell. He only knew that they were _far away_ from the clans but he didn't smell the intruders. "Where?"

"I smell rabbits and fish." He responded.

Two low growls came from a nearby shrub. "Blackstar." Bramblestar noticed two pair of eyes, one amber the other water blue.

Bramblestar let out a breath of relief as he slowly recognized the "intruders" as Onestar and Mistystar. _ This is familiar_

Mistystar's eyes turned calm, but had a fierce glint. "Blackstar? Bramblestar?" Onestar sat down head high trying to appear dominant.

Blackstar merely nodded. Bramblestar felt a shiver fall down his spine. _ I've never even lead Thunderclan to a gathering before and now I'm in the presence of the clan leaders._

Bramblestar cleared his throat. "Any suggestions on how we get home?"

"No." Onestar responded. "But we'll have to find a way."

"How about the way we came." Mistystar suggested. "The monster took us from that direction." She used her tail to point south of where we came from.

Blackstar muzzle curled. Bramblestar guessed that the two other cats were trying to lead him the wrong way. "The monster took us from that way." He pointed with his tail to the _opposite _side of where Mistystar had pointed.

Onestar snarled. "Are Shadowclan and Thunderclan working together now? Trying to get rid of the other two clans!"

Blackstar bared his teeth. "The monster came from that way." He hissed each word as if it were a threat. Bramblestar growled.

"There has always been four clans and it will remain that way." Bramblestar felt his claws unsheathe.Four loud snarls soon filled the area

_Peace with all of you _A gentle voice shook the hissing cats out of their rage. Blackstar blinked his eyes in surprise.

Four cats stood almost floating in the middle of the forest. Soft starry fogs surrounded their almost perfect feet. The one that spoke was gentle she-cat with black covering the top of her with white all over the bottom of her including her paws, muzzle belly and underneath her tail.

When she spoke her face was gentle but her green eyes were fierce. " Peace, I am Hollyflower former warrior of Shadowclan and mother of Blackstar."

Bramblestar widened his eyes in shock. That gentle she-cat was Shadowclan? He turned his gaze over to Blackstar. The black and white tom's eyes were filled with what appeared to be confliction. Suddenly his eyes flashed back to his usual cold hard stare.

"Mother."

Hollyflower eyes saddened. "Your clans are suffering." Bramblestar swore he heard Blackstar snort in sarcasm.

Mistystar straightened out her fur and sat up straight she dipped her head in respect to the Starclan cat. "We know, are you hear to give a prophecy?"

" No, I'm hear to tell you that you were brought out here for a reason, you four must go on a journey,"

Bramblestar looked down silently thinking to himself. _Firestar told about a journey between the four leaders, they formed friendships and it ended in a war._

"Where can we find this flower?" Bramblestar heard Onestar meow. He must have zoned out for a moment.

"The Lunar flower only comes out at night; they use to bloom in the Shadowclan territory all the time. Then…they just disappeared. No cat knew they were herbs at the time. Blackstar you know how the flower and the scent looks and smells. I use to take you into the middle of the camp to see the bloom remember?" Hollyflower's eyes brightened up with hope.

Bramblestar wondered if the tom would show kindness towards his mother. He frowned when Blackstar shot his mother right down. "Of course I know the scent; we should go now if we want find the old territory again."

"But they don't grow in Old Shadowclan territory anymore." Onestar mewed. His eyes obviously sparked with interest in what was going on between mother and son. "Weren't you listening?'

Bramblestar held back a snarl, why did Onestar have to so cocky. He looked towards Hollyflower who seemed a bit unnerved about Onestar's comment. "It lies in an area known as Kumajiro; a cold vast place there grows the Ice lunar flower."

Bramblestar looked as Blackstar the leader's held his breath. _Come on, don't be so stubborn, whatever happened is in the past._

"When you told me stories as a child, you said Kuma or Kumajiro was beyond the mountains through the eagle's eye, and above the seas." Blackstar snorted.

"What's in Starclan's name is a sea?" Mistystar asked.

Hollyflower smirked. "You'll find out soon enough," She turned to walk away before turning around and looking back. "My only help to you is say: _ Beyond the mountains not of the tribe, through the mighty eagle's eye, and above the icy seas. _She faded into the air leaving behind no remains of her being there.

Sharp wind blew into the leader's faces. Bramblestar stood mystified from the event. "Beyond the mountains not of the tribe what other mountain is there?"

"What of the sea?" Mistystar growled unhappy her question wasn't answered before.

Blackstar sighed and flattened his ears. "Just call it the water from the sundown place."

"I say we should go now." Onestar mewed. "Oh and don't think _I'll_ be revealing any Windclan secrets."

Blackstar snarled. "We don't want any of your mouse brained hunting styles. Unlike Windclan Shadowclan spends their time-."

"Stop it!" Bramblestar hissed. "We're here to save our clans not bicker like kits."

Mistystar nodded in agreement. "It's the only way, we mustn't tell our deputies of this." She bowed her head. "I don't know why but something we should go now."

Blackstar closed his eyes thinking. "I…agree with you, I have the feeling too."

"Can we agree on a place to go?" Bramblestar asked.

"Let's …let's just follow the…that star!" Onestar eyes quickly followed the first star shining in the sky.

Mistystar grumbled. "So we're traveling at night. Purrfect."

Blackstar eyes turned cocky. "Well we don't have to travel at night if you don't want to."

Bramblestar snorted. "We're all cats; we can travel in the dark." Bramblestar gave a small grin and could have sworn he saw Blackstar smirk._ Near a smile at least._

**There is only one answer to where they are going: CANADA! Whoo hooo! Canadians rule! I love my fellow Americans too. I love my fellow North Americans as well. Okay so these kitties aren't going to Canada. Let's just pretend they're going to some cold vast place. Like in Wolf's Rain**

**Okay so Hollyflower is Blackstar's real mother. Revealed in Yellowfang's secret. I've decided to give issues with his parents because that's AU in my head.**

**Onestar is a total hoser. I'll give him dam self confidence issues. He'll put the other leader's down to make himself feel better.**

**Mistystar is the calm one, I guess…**

**Bramblestar is trying to impress the other leaders why? because in my AU Bramblestar just wants to be the best leader he can be. **

**I tried not to make Hollyflower a Mary sue. To me this is her story. She was raped by Brokenstar and had Blackkit and Littlekit and Snowkit. She was also mates with Nightpelt so he is partly their father. Hollyflower was killed when she defied Brokenstar, also known as the " Fire incident" Alone and lost Blackkit follows Brokenstar and becomes the dark cat Blackfoot, ;later he realizes he's done wrong and fight the Bloodclan battle yada yada yada becomes leader. Later into his leadership, He finds out he wasn't meant to be born and that Starclan let him suffer through out his kit years. This triggers his hate/love relationship between Starclan and himself. That battle was never for Shadowclan then Sol came along and Blackstar opened up to him, revealing the quarrel between him and his ancestors. Sol took advantage of that and yeah that's how I imagined it to have happened.**

**Excuse my grammar I'm _North _American**


	3. Tabby

**Merry Christmas everyone!**

**I don't own warriors**

Cold, harsh winds blew against Bramblestar's face; he shivered and gave a sigh. "We've been going like this for…for who knows how long. It's dawn and the star has disappeared."

Mistystar stopped for a moment. "But we're close. Don't you feel it?"

Blackstar grunted. "Feel what? Our tail freezing"

Mistystar scowled. "That gut feeling that says we're close. Let's just keep going."

Bramblestar sighed and bowed his head as he walked. He looked up and noticed no cat was actually leading. All cats had their freezing tails drooping, no signs of dominance wrung in the air.

Onestar suddenly stopped. "Wait." He pricked up his ears. "Do you hear that?"

All cats stopped and pricked their ears. Blackstar growled. "I smell rouges."

Bramblestar unsheathed his claws. "They better not be aggressive."

Mistystar scented the cold air. "It's hard to smell but they're there. I can hear them talking rather loudly."

Onestar shifted his eyes from his brown paws to Blackstar's amber eyes. "Do you think…do you think you could sneak up on them and hear them?"

Blackstar widened his eyes n surprise of the cocky Windclan leader asking him to help. "Oh…of course I'll be back."

With that note, the Shadowclan leader disappeared, his white coat camouflaging into the snow. Bramblestar shook his coat, letting the snow fall onto the ground. _ Yes it does make more sense for Blackstar to spy on them. We'll use our strengths as we go along_

Mistystar licked her chest fur. "What happens if these rouges are aggressive?"

"We fight em." Onestar growled. "Make them run with their tails between their legs." He unsheathed his claws thinking about the rouges.

"And if they outnumber us? Did you think of that?" Mistystar challenged. Onestar scowled avoiding defeat.

Bramblestar stepped in between the two cats. "We'll think about that when it I mean if it happens."

The three cats turned their heads as they heard or saw the movement in the snow. Blackstar appeared again, the large tom shook his coat before sitting down. "Those rouges are just kittypets. They spent their time talking about flavors of "kibble""

Onestar blinked. "What's kibble?"

Blackstar snorted. "Kittypet thing."

Bramblestar rolled his eyes. "I swear kittypet are as weird as twolegs."

"Well they do live together." Mistystar shuddered. "Are you sure they didn't say anything else?"

"Do you want to here about what twolegs do in their nests?" Blackstar meowed; he smirked to himself as the other leaders cringed in disgust. "They don't look aggressive."

"Perhaps we should ask them for directions." Mistystar suggested. The toms snorted and she rolled her eyes. "So all toms hate asking for directions."

"No!" Onestar meowed. "But why would we ask _kittypets_ for directions." Blackstar and Bramblestar nodded in agreement.

"Bye." Mistystar meowed almost sassy like. She started to walk off.

Bramblestar widened his eyes. "We're supposed to stay together!"

"Oh well!" she yowled back.\

Blackstar and Onestar sighed. "Stubborn she-cat." Onestar muttered.

The toms eventually followed after her muttering curses under their breath. Mistystar almost pranced happily as she led the group to a fattish kittypet. The she-cat had a grey coat with darker grey stripes covering her body. She opened her green eyes as she lay on the wooden part of the twoleg nest. She yawned, barely flicking her ears as the cats approached her.

She finally sat up eyes half opened and glaring at her visitors. She unsheathed her short stubby claws. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Bramblestar cleared his throat. "We- we are the leaders of the four clans Shadowclan, Riverclan, Windclan and Thunderclan." Blackstar flicked an ear in approval and Bramblestar relaxed a bit. "Where only looking for something, a mountain."

The she-cat tilted her head, curiosity in her green eyes evident. "Oh, do you mean Eagle's peak? My name's Tabby by the way."

Mistystar spoke next. "Where can we find this Eagle's Peak? How does it look like?"

Tabby grinned and rolled onto her back. "Oh I don't know where it is. My Housefolk takes the whole family including Meli that's the dog, in the car every half season to see the eagles there. You might not see any eagles though since it's cold now."

"What's a car?" Onestar questioned.

"You know that big thing that makes noise and runs along the long black part of the ground with the yellow lines." She purred. "Meli loves sticking her head out the window; I usually just sit in the back though."

"You like a monster." Blackstar narrowed his eyes. "And you're friends with a dog?"

Tabby rolled her eyes. "Cars aren't monsters, they're just used to take twolegs to places, and they're not alive silly, Twolegs make them, it's like riding a horse but sometimes, twolegs control it and Meli's a really small dog."

"What about when "cars" hit animals." Blackstar meowed. "Are the twolegs out to kill us?"

Tabby shook her head. "My mother told be that sometimes twolegs do it on purpose, other times it's an accident. Sometimes Twolegs drink to much and their brains don't work as well. When they drink it's like taking a whole fox of catmint. Either I avoid them on the roll."

"Alright." Mistystar sighed taking the entire knowledge in. "Where's your collar?"

"My Housefolk only give me my collar when we go to places like the vet, an animal healer or public places other than here." Tabby meowed; she used her back leg to scratch her ear.

"They won't mind if I disappear for a while I can take you to Eagle's Peak, Meli can keep the family busy." Tabby purred happily. "I wouldn't mind."

Blackstar clearly held his tongue as the other leaders agreed to let the kittypet lead the way. It was also clear that he was thinking very un leader like things at the moment especially when the grey she-cat rubbed herself against him.

**Next story Updated will be the Fourth ones….**


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